Rebuilding Lines
Munitions Bay(#872Rnt) - - Outskirts of San Francisco The staging area of Metroplex functions in many ways as an armory. It is a very large room with heavily armored walls, gleaming and shining in perfect military spotlessness. Upon these gleaming silver bulkheads are racks upon racks that hold every manner of weaponry. From Ion Cannons to Plasma Ejectors, Rail-Guns and Auto-Cannons every sort of possible weapon is ready to be grabbed in an emergency. Benches line the walls for 'bots to re-arm and perform last minute adjustments before heading out on one of any number of missions. In the very center of the room is a raised dias with cables to be connected to individuals and their various forms of firepower. From here, the armorer can perform calibrations and scans to make sure that each is functioning at their best. Located in the back behind thick blast doors is a storage facility for various explosives along with a special workshop that is further armored and secured behind protective forcefields for ordnance modifications and disposal. Contents: Fathom Punch Torque Horsepower Crosshairs' Workbench Requisitions Officer Do you want to build a weapon? Come on, it will be fun! I want to have a nice new gun Come to the lab I've got snacks and booze! We could make it all shiny With lots of chrome And might that'll make cons cry! Do you want to build a weapon? I know you want to build a weapon~! Luckily, Zipline didn't have to resort to singing to get anyone to help work on replacing her railcannon. All it took was asking around a bit, and a couple of interested parties offered to lend a hand. Which was good, because as far as building weapons was concerned, Zipline was a bit out of her league. The little yellow cheetah tape was dwarfed by pretty much everything on the munitions bay's workshop table. She's been put back together since her last encounter with the Decepticons, and doesn't look much worse for wear. Well, aside from the fact that her cannon is outright missing and being used by that jerk Swindle, but that's what they're here to fix. "Okay, thanks for coming!" She says, grinning at the others. "It's been a major bummer to have to sit out on stuff. So the sooner we get something solid that I can shoot with the better." Horsepower is leaning back against a workstation from the stool he's sitting on, one hand holding a display tablet, and the other his can of half-finished enerbeer. Just a little something to help lube the brain gears as well as the fuel tank. His optics are mainly at the tablet though, visibly flitting back and forth as he reads over various details and technical notes. "Tarnation, we y'all said yer old piece was experimental, ya weren't kiddin'," the inventor finally sums it up. "It's no problem at all, Zip!" Torque beams once she's in the munitions bay, a large datapad under her arm and toolbox in hand that she sets on the table. "Just glad to help, yah know?" Attention shifts to Horsepower a moment when he speaks up, the femme nodding before looking back to the tapebot. "You can say that again. But hey, we get to start fresh now. Didja have anything particular in mind, Zip? Rocket launcher, machine gun, cryo rifle, maybe a flamethrower?" Punch is enjoying some time off from his unpredictable schedule. After a good recharge he, for once, feels very rested. Stepping in gingerly and seeing the others he says "Hi, anything I can help out with?" Okay, the kind of help he'll be able to give will be probably fetching, carrying and getting refreshments but help is help - right ? As for Zipline, she's got a stack of small, tape-sized enerchips to snack on. Can't do designing on an empty stomach, after all. "Awesomely experimental," The cheetah says proudly, "But way inefficient. The thing was just my size but slag did it have a kick. Uh, literally." She grins, rubbing at the back of her head with a paw. "Almost kicked me into a wall a few times." Zipline grins up at Torque, "Those sound gnarly cool, I'll take you up on one of those sometime. But what I actually want is to finish the railcannon. You know, totally redesign it from the ground up!" Her tail flicks against the table, "Without all the lame." Zip notices Punch behind the others, and grins fangily at him. "Hey, more processors always helps!" "As do more hands, Punch." Horsepower chugs down the end of his enerbeer and chucks the can into the recycling receptical in the corner. Makes a mental note to remember Pipes to empty that later. Then turns his attention back down to his tablet. "Recoil, huh?" Clicks a few options on the touch screen to bring up a different set of technical specs. "Ah reckon that thing had more buck than a bronco with a sunburn. Looks like the recoil-comp wasn't calibrated high enough to counteract that yer chassis is rather light." He makes a few notes to himself, then looks up to the femme mechanic. "Yer the body specialist Torque, got any suggestions? Ah can do somethin' 'bout the recoil, but it's spit nuttin' good if she can't hold herself steady." Torque beams, "Well we can more than definitely do that." Tapping a few things on her datapad, it soon projects a 3D hologram of Zipline's old gun. "Well if recoil's the main issue, we could install stronger dampeners. But if we're rebuilding the whole thing then I'd suggest lighter materials with the same strength. If it isn't as heavy it won't kick you so hard." Glancing over her shoulder at Punch's question, Torque smiles wide and nods, waving him in. "Sure, c'mon in Punch. The more hands the better." Punch says jokingly, "I've certainly got the hands to lend. As for the processor . . . I'll try not to hold the rest of you back too much." He hangs back to let those in the know work out the important technical details. He knows he won't be needed until the complexities of the design are resolved and that, once someone does need a hand, they'll let him know. Meantime he fishes out an 'Xtra Charge' Energy drink, opens it and has a sip. "Light is good," Zipline agrees, "Lighter means I can run faster with the thing out of storage. That'd reduce the kick?" She stands up to all four paws and starts to walk around 3D representation of her old gun. "I was thinking, what if we made the barrel longer somehow? I know it'd actually make it heavier, but it'd stabalize the slug too; I noticed it wobbles a lot coming out of the rails." Zip grins at Punch, "I'm new to this stuff too. I kinda get it, but these bots are the real experts." "Longer would also be more wobbly when you're movin'," Horsepower points out. Though looks down at the various schematics again and rumbles deeply with thought for a few moments. "Though, could be possible to make the barrel housing telescopic. Ya wouldn't be able to fire at full blast on the move, but once ya pick yer sweet spot and stop," he makes an expanding motion with his hands. "It could slide out and lock into place. Yer right about the longer muzzle length stabilizin' the slug's spin." He eyes the cheetah-bot for another moment, then without looking up points past the others towards a tool rack on the other side of the bay. "Punch, hand me a coupla clamps off that station there. Ah reckon ah've got an idea..." "Well, maybe you can learn a thing or two." Torque smirks to Punch. "But yeah, lighter materials would definitely give it less kick." A nod to Hoss after. "Agreed. And I think the smaller shots while on the move would be a good thing. Won't be knockin' her off course. We could also reenforce the mounting and add some more shock absorbers to keep down the kick on the full blast." While Punch plays the role of helper, Torque gets to work on her floating schematic, removing bits of the 3D model and add in new ones like the telescoping barrel. "So then we'd have something more like this, hmm.." Punch says, "No problem." Carefully putting his drink on a smaller unused table beside him Punch then neatly steps over to the indicated rack and grabs a few clamps from it. He asks "These okay?" holding the parts up so they can be seen easily. "So keep it tucked in when I'm on the move," Zipline says, "That sounds like it'd look wicked cool, too." She grins, "I mean wouldn't it though? Screetch to a stop, barrel sliding out and locking into place, then THROOM!" She makes a motion with a forepaw like something rocketing out of a barrel. "I like the sound of that." Turning back to the 3D display, she cants her head a little to the side in curiosity. "What about some exhaust ports here," She points near the base of the cannon, "And on the other side. Kick out some of the excess exhaust." "Eh?" Zip looks back up to Horsepower, "What're you thinking big guy?" "Those will do just fine, thank ya kindly." Horsepower takes the clamps, and gets up from his stool to kneel down next to Zipline. And crouch over practically, considering the size difference. "Follow me here Torque, make sure Ah ain't chasin' the wrong idea. But ya know how bigger artillery pieces have struts to brace 'em once in position? What if we did something like this..." He reachs down and around Zipline to hook the clamps around her ankles, so the handles are up against her lower back legs. "Normally Ah'd just say use yer claws, but the electrostatic chargers make 'em too sensative for anchors. So instead, if we rigged up somethin' like this, wouldn't be in the way when yer runnin'. But when ya need to give a Decepticreep a really bad day, you stop and.." He pauses as he flicks the clamps with a finger each, causing them to clunk against the floor as they flip down from the back of Zipline's legs. "We sure can." Torque chirps with a smile at Zip's suggestion, moving things around to add a small venting system at the base of the weapon. "That should also keeps things cooler so you don't overheat as much." It's only when Hoss speaks up that she looks away from her work, antennas perking up curiously while watching him test his idea. With a hand to her chin, the medic tilts her head a little and smiles wide. "Huh, well shoot, Hoss, that's a pretty damn good idea. That'll keep you in place no matter how big of a shot you take, Zip. You mind if we put that on, too? Don't worry, they shouldn't hinder you at all when running." Punch says, "Anytime." Moving carefully round the room he grabs the can back off of the small table and drinks some more. "Anything else, just give me a shout." When you're a cassette, you have to sort of get used to bigger bots looming over you. Zipline doesn't even complain when Horsepower leans over her, she just looks up at him curiously. Then back at what he's doing with her legs. "... And then when I fire, I'd be able to brace myself on the ground better. That way I can keep level better even when I'm firing full power!" Zipline's tail sways behind her, and she nods eagerly at Torque. "I dig it! And I bet I could pull off some gnarly maneuvers with them too. Insta-stop and swing around using the rest of my momentum!" Better make those extra strong if she's already thinking about alternative uses for anchors like that. Horsepower chuckles at the approval as he gets up, and gives Torque a pat on the shoulder. "Ya wanna work on that and making sure her mount housing is up to spec to hold the shock absorbtion and exhaust venting? Ah'll start workin' on the collapsable barrel." He picks up a few things here and there as he walks back towards the work station. "Punch, two rows down and three selves in is where the ferroconductive rails are stored. Grab me a set of the narrowest width." Punch says, "Sure thing." Moving to two rows down and three shelves in Punch has a closer look and says "I don't see . . . ah, here it is. There you go. Min-width ferroconductive rails. Is that enough of them?" Torque nods, "You got it, Hoss." Moving to where he just stood, Torque grabs her toolbox and sets it beside Zipline, opening it up and pulling out a few things. "Hope you don't mind me pokin' around, Zip, just gotta make sure you can hold everything." Once the cheetah gives the go-ahead, Torque opens her housing up to have a peek inside. It won't hurt, though it'd probably feel a little odd or even tickle if she's the type. "Hmm.. looks like you'll be able to hold everything alright. Gonna have to tighten things up a bit, though.." Maneuvering her wrench-like tool in, the femme tweaks a few things. "I'll tell yah, though. You're gonna be a force on the field once we're done, heh." Zipline's grin never fades, "As Blaster would say, you guys are mega rocking this!" Her enthusiasm is obvious in her voice. Then again, she's been sort of partially declawed the past few days, so getting back up to speed is bound to perk up her spirits. At Torque's request, Zipline nods. The little cheetah-bot steadies herself, standing about as upright as she can manage on her four paws. "Poke away, Torque. They fixed up the energy lines that Rumble cut and all, so it's all -Hehe- good as -hahaha- new back there. Eeehehe!" Try as Zipline might to hold still, she can't help it. She squirms a little while Torque is poking around, and even when she manages to steady herself her tail lashes irratically behind her. Jaws clench in an attempt to hold back laughter. Oops, looks like Zipline's ticklish! "That's fine Punch, Ah'll have to trim down to length anyways." Horsepower settles down on his seat and hunches partially over the station to get to work. Flips down his visor, though this time setting it to magnification instead, and various little flickers of data can be seen on the display side of the lenses as he gets to work on what will be the sliding portion of the extendable barrel. "Best part of all this is that the design itself for yer cannon is fine. We're just refinin' it to be better." Punch touches the side of his head with two fingers then taps it in the same place twice. "Okay. Sorry 'bout this but something's came up. Apologies but needs must." With that Punch leaves to deal with whatever has silently alerted him. Punch has left. Punch heads back to OOC-Land. Torque can't help but snicker at the tape's wiggling. "Hey now, I'm hardly doin' anything." Thankfully Zipline won't have to endure it for long, the medic finishing quickly and moving to the back room to get some parts to build the struts. Settling down beside Zip, Torque takes measurements of the tapebot's back legs and jots down a few notes before starting to assemble them. Glancing up from her welding tool, Torque blinks at Punch. "Oh, okay. Thanks for stoppin' by and helpin' out, Punch. Don't forget to drop by medbay, by the way, you've got a checkup." She smiles and waves to him as he leaves before turning back to her work. "Since we've got your old schematic on hand, it shouldn't take too long to build up the new gun." Zipline shuffles slightly, even once Torque is finished working on her insides. "Can't help it," She admits, stretching out one let for Torque to measure, "I've been ticklish since they put me in this body. Can't remember if my old one was. Can't remember much of anything of it really." And yet she doesn't seem all that annoyed by that. Can't feel bad about what you don't remember in the first place. She grins at Punch, "Ciao! See you around!" "I'll be glad to get back out there. Especially if these refinements make the cannon better," Zipline's tone is a little less enthusiastic for once. "I've got some cons to give some pay-back to." A puff of air from her coolant system comes out sounding like an annoyed chuff. "Seriously lame that I dropped so fast. I didn't even get the chance to give Rumble and Swindle a few new claw marks." "Be careful out there mech, and thanks fer the support." Horsepower gives a brief wave over his shoulder so he doesn't have to look up from his work. "Ya'll just have to use to new and improved to wipe the smug smile off their faceplates then." After a little fiddling he decides that the best way to maintain the weapon's compactness is to assemble it so the magnetic force already available in the rails is also what it uses to push the extention out and into place. "Or anyone else dumb nuts enough to not take ya seriously." "Heh, don't worry, you'll be outta here in no time. How's it lookin' over there, Hoss?" Torque asks without looking while making the finishing touches on the strut system. It's a pretty simple spring and retract system, but it should be strong enough to hold Zip still no matter what she's shooting. "Alright, just gonna need your leg a second.." Carefully she mounts the struts around the joint and begins riveting it together so it's nice and stable before opening a few panels to solder lines so she can control it. "Alright, give that a few tests, Zip. Lemme know how it feels." If it's good then she'll attatch the other side. ain't Combined no more. Y'know, /useful/ things." "Better slagging believe it!" Zipline grins at Horsepower, "Some cons think us tapes are weak just cause we're tiny. I say, some of them are so big they won't realize we're behind them with a lock on the back of their head until it's too late." At least Zip curbs her enthusiasm some, letting Torque attach the new strut system on the leg. When Torque is finished, Zip sets the paw down and steadies it. Then flips the strut down. She steadies herself against it, bracing back against the strut to see how it handles her weight. She then lifts her paw back, just applying weight onto the strut to see how it holds up. "Feels good," She reports, flipping it back into place against the back of her leg. "I think it'll hold up!" A solid CHUCLUNK comes from the workbench as Horsepower tests the barrel extension and locking mechanism. Then installs it into the rest of the weapon housing. "Still mighty impressive how small this thing is." He turns with a chuckle to pass the mini-railcannon to Torque. "But it just goes to show, it ain't the size of the cannon that matters when ya know how t'use it right." "Hey now, small things can easily pack a punch. Those piledriers on Rumble and Frenzy are no joke." Torque smirks to Hoss and accepts the gun, appraising it thoughtfully. "But then again, this thing'll knock 'em senseless before they even get a chance. Alright, hold still now. And no wiggling." She looks pointedly to Zipline, though it's clear she's teasing by that smile. With tool in hand, the tape is opened back up, allowing Torque to slot in the brand new railgun and ratchet it in nice and tight. Once all the connections are made she steps back to overlook their handiwork. "May get a delay, but your systems should pick it up in a second. How's it feel?" If Zipline had a tongue, she'd be sticking it out at Torque for that wiggling remark. As it is, she does manage to make a decent representation of a raspberry. Regardless of her enthusiasm (And ticklishness), Zipline holds still, allowing for the base of the new cannon to be fixed into place. Well, mostly still; she has a hard time keeping that tail of hers from flicking back and forth behind her. Even with the new materials, Zipline visibly braces a little bit with the new cannon attached and un-supported. She shifts her back slightly, adjusting the cannon a little bit from side to side. "Yup, picking it up," She reports. She lifts her head, and the cannon raises up with it. Then from side to side, before finally, leveling it out. "Now how do I-" The barrel of the cannon abruptly slides out with a *kachunk*, extending it out past her head. "-Nevermind, found it!" An eager grin forms across her muzzle, "We got anything I can try it out on?" Horsepower holds up his hands to the overeager feline. "Whoa now, let's not go firin' that off in here. Too many other explosives 'round. Ya might wanna go run a few shooting range tests down in the holodeck before ya go tarousing into the field with that baby." Torque grins and points out playfully, "Or you could test it on Horsepower. Bet he could stand up to it pretty easy." She laughs at that and shakes her had. "But he's got a point. Training room for you, Zip. And let us know if anything feels off so we can tweak it. ..Oh! And here." Torque perks up and pulls something from subspace to hand to the feline. It's.. an energon lollipop! "I usually give 'em to patients, but hey, why not? For putin' up with us gun nuts." "Party poopers," Zipline retorts, feigning a scowl. She smirks in the next instant, tail lashing behind her. "Thanks you two, I'm really going to owe you for this one. Need a supply run hit up, I'm your cat." She starts making her way towards the end of the table when Torque offers the lollipop. "Oh come on, Torque, I'm not a little protomech." But she pauses. Eyeshifts left. Then right. Then she snatches the energon lollipop anyway. "But since you're offering," She says, half muffled around the lollipop. Zip then leaps off of the side of the table, onto a chair, and down onto the ground. At least she seems to be maneuvering okay with the new cannon, so it must not be throwing off her stabalizers too much. "I'll let you know how it goes!" She says, already out the door.